Saturday, March 15, 2014

Friday, March 14, 2014

This year we made a resolution to lose weight. I have tried a lot of diets…weight watchers, fitness pal, etc.But I started to get interested in the Paleo diet, which is eating things indigenous to where you live. Things you can hunt, grow and gather. Meat, veggies, eggs, nuts… And eating "clean", which is non processed.Then I came across The Personal Trainer Food, via Groupon. www.personaltrainerfood.comMy problem has always been that I cook and get my lunches and dinners ready on Sunday, that usually last me through Wednesday maybe Thursday. Then it all turns south. What do we have on hand? Which usually isn't good for you. A lot of processed food.I have also found that diets that worked for me before (weight watchers) don't work for me any more. Maybe because I am older? Maybe because they changed their point system and it is all so confusing now? I don't know.So this diet is all about meat and veggies, with some eggs and cheese and nuts. Eating clean.Sounded very doable to me. No carbs or sugar. Ok…. I decided I can do anything for 30 days, right? And the convenience is what is most important to me.You go on line and order 28 breakfasts- eggs, omelets and sausage. 28 meats for lunch and 28 veggies for lunch, 28 meats and 28 veggies for dinner. And 56 snacks. Either nuts or sausage and cheese sticks. 2 snacks a day.Hubby did it with me.The first round we ordered a little bit of everything to see what we liked. The food arrives frozen in a big box. Most importantly you need to have the freezer space to put all the food!

Then...Just go to the freezer and grab what you want that day. Very convenient for me working.I grab a breakfast and lunch, a couple of snacks, throw it in my purse, I am on my way.They send along a garlic butter sauce to use with the veggies and I have a seasoning salt that I love that I pretty much put on everything. I ordered an extra butter sauce to keep one at work.You can have a salad with every meal (they recommend ranch dressing because it has the lowest sugar) and they have videos on line how to dress up the food. All the food is flash frozen and very healthy, very little is processed or has gluten.I found everything is really, really good. Hubby wasn't crazy about the breakfasts (so he cooks his own eggs and sausage) but overall we both thought the food was very good. (now I can't wait for my meals!)Much better than jenny craig or smart ones that are very convenient but very processed.Another good thing also is it teaches you portion control.The best thing is I never really went hungry on this diet. The first week was a little difficult going through sugar withdrawal. Kind of felt like we had the flu. But after that, no problem. It was hard giving up my nightly glass of wine (which turns to sugar at 3 am every morning) but I am sleeping SOOOO much better with no sugar.I have so much more energy and my head is clearer on this diet.After a while you can start introducing some things back into you diet. There is a person on a chat center that you can ask questions to 24/7. Which has been very helpful!Happy to say 2 months later I have lost 18 lbs without being hungry or feeling deprived. Hubby has lost over 30! One of the things that they tell you not to do, is continuously get on the scale. Just judge it by how you look. I am now wearing clothes I haven't worn in a very long time!And you don't have to exercise like crazy. They recommend walking 15 minutes a day. Very doable. I get up from my desk twice a day and take a walk. It's good for you mentally as well!We decided to reorder. The nice thing is now we can cook our own versions because we know what we should eat now. We can go out to dinner and know what to order.So now we use the frozen food more for convenience.And the price per day (between $10-14, depending on which plan) for an entire days worth of really good and good for you food is cheaper than what I was paying my work cafe for lunch! If you are interested in trying it here is a link that you can get $25 off your first orderhttp://ptf.refr.cc/GCHGHPZ

Good luck! I really wouldn't put this on my blog if I didn't believe in it. I really don't endorse much (except hobby lobby lol!) but this really worked for me. It has been a life saver for me, because I just couldn't lose my belly fat no matter how hard I tried. I still have a ways to go, but am hoping by spring to fit into my cute skinny clothes that have been in the back of my closet for a long time!

Sunday, March 2, 2014

I had been looking forever for a small set of file cabinets to fit into my office space.Over the Holidays I began my massive reorganization and filing a years worth of paper.I needed something fast to put my piles away in.After not finding anything, I came across these bright colored files at my favorite Hobby Lobby store.

They would not work in my home in their current state….however...I thought I could possibly make these work.

I took some black paint and a stencil and now they work much better in my home than in their red, green and blue color way!

Always look at the Hobby Lobby sale section. You can find some great deals!

French Hen Farm is a beautiful red barn filled with vintage chandelier lighting, overlooking a pretty pond, willow trees and gardens in the middle of Union County on 100 acres of gorgeous farmland.
We have an annual barn sale every Spring where my family, my sisters and friends sell our vintage finds and creations.
We started having weddings here for friends, neighbors and family in 2009. Word of mouth carried and more and more people were interested in our venue. We are now available for your special event and would love to be a part of your special day! We are currently booking weddings for 2019.
This blog is about the many things that inspire us here on the farm.
From everyday farm life to the special events that we have here on the farm.